San Francisco Supervisors Hold Back Part of Airport Official's Pay

Charlie Goodyear On Jan 12, 2007
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle

High-flying city bureaucrat Bill Lee had his wings clipped by a Board of Supervisors budget committee when it declined to release six months of his salary as director of international economic and tourism development at San Francisco International Airport.

Mayor Gavin Newsom installed Lee in the $185,780-a-year job in 2005 as a soft landing after the mayor replaced him as the city's chief administrative officer. Supervisors began asking questions last year about how the airport was benefiting from Lee's position.

On Wednesday, Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Chris Daly and Bevan Dufty showed their irritation at what they said was unwillingness on the part of airport officials to defend the value of Lee's job.

Lee said he expects he will continue to be paid through other airport funds. But supervisors suggested they might delete his position from the airport's budget later this year.